[yagobob]

Anyone have any "official" word of the Elise warranty period? I didn't find much in the forums, and the dealers I've talked to weren't positive but thought 2 years....

I was hoping for 3 or even 4 years, as with a "handbuilt" British sportscar, we'll need it!

 

[GMorel1916]

My dealer told me 3yrs. 36,000 miles.

 

[Modern Wedgie]

Dave Simkin of Lotus USA told me 3-years, 36K.

 

[excesss]

3 years and 36,000 miles and you will need it.

 

[babak]

3 years and 36,000 miles and you will need it.

So should we also be shopping for extended warranty as well.

 

[excesss]

Oh yes

 

[Win]

You make it sound like the Toyota engine is gonna break after 36K miles. Unless you drive it like a maniac it should be fine.

 

[dez]

It's not the engine OR transmission that will give any of us problems. It's the rest, so 36 isn't bad.

 

[Modern Wedgie]

You make it sound like the Toyota engine is gonna break after 36K miles. Unless you drive it like a maniac it should be fine.

Guess you havent visited the celica boards lately!

 

[babak]

Guess you havent visited the celica boards lately!

Care to elaborate MW? This thread is not confidence isnpiring specially to those of us who live several states away from their dealers.

 

[zvezdah1]

HI,
Perhaps someone can detail this, typically don't extended warranties usually just cover drivetrain (engine, gearbox)
Chris

 

[Hollywood]

my 2000 celica gts has 54000 miles and still going strong. no problems.

 

[OneFastLotus]

Can someone elaborate on the "oh you WILL need it" comments?

Im naive when it comes to newer Lotus/Toyota reliability and Im 5 hours from the closest dealer.

Please expound.


Thanks
Jennifer

 

[OneFastLotus]

Chris,

Yes most extended warranties just cover mechanical items...and you need to look hard at the warranty to make sure of what it does cover,some are better than others.

 

[pinmagic]

Can someone elaborate on the "oh you WILL need it" comments?

Im naive when it comes to newer Lotus/Toyota reliability and Im 5 hours from the closest dealer.

Please expound.


Thanks
Jennifer

Lotus -- and indeed, all British cars -- have a history of reliability issues. For years, the electronics had a horrible reputation, but other bits and pieces tended to fall off, as well. When Acura started making the Legend, they sold the engine and platform to Sterling, which put its own body on the car and sold it in the US under the Sterling name. Well, the engine and platform were fine, but the rest of it wasn't very reliable. The Sterling version failed miserably in the US, and Sterling folded here. But Acura, of course, went on to much success.

As for the Toyota engine -- well, I have a Toyota MR-2 (different engine than the one going into the Elise, but in the same family). Tho my own MR-2 (a 2002) hasn't experience engine problems, other owners are on their 2nd and 3rd engines, having suffered massive engine failure, apparently due to precat failure. Toyota has yet to acknowledge the problem. I understand the Celica (using an engine similar to the Elise) has had some problems too.

Bottom line: if you're looking for reliability, you may be taking a gamble here. Hopefully, Lotus and Toyota have gotten it right this time, but you never know. If you're 5 hours from the nearest dealer, you need to decide if this is the right car for you.

 

[Derek]

Here is what the Channel 4 reviewer said of the 111R, which is basically the US car minus the redesigned interior to accommodate airbags:

Reliability and Quality 4 out of 5 stars
Lotus has learned much about how to apply quality processes on an assembly line, thanks in no small part to its experience building the VX220 for Vauxhall. The result is the best-built car in the history of the company. That said, the Elise is still much closer to being a handbuilt car than, say, a Toyota Celica, and that means the occasional inconsistent panel gap and the odd rattle. Overall, though, the quality of materials and construction is far from being the issue it is with some other small-volume British manufacturers. Contemplating a long road trip, the Elise really does inspire confidence.

The build quality and reliability of the Elise will be far better than any other Lotus ever built. It doesn't look like reliability will be an issue with the new Liz

Link to the article is below:
http://www.channel4.com/apps26/4car/jsp/main.jsp?lnk=231_2&page=2&reviewid=843

Link to the forum is below:
http://www.elisetalk.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2101

 

[OneFastLotus]

Lotus -- and indeed, all British cars -- have a history of reliability issues. For years, the electronics had a horrible reputation, but other bits and pieces tended to fall off, as well. When Acura started making the Legend, they sold the engine and platform to Sterling, which put its own body on the car and sold it in the US under the Sterling name. Well, the engine and platform were fine, but the rest of it wasn't very reliable. The Sterling version failed miserably in the US, and Sterling folded here. But Acura, of course, went on to much success.


Bottom line: if you're looking for reliability, you may be taking a gamble here. Hopefully, Lotus and Toyota have gotten it right this time, but you never know. If you're 5 hours from the nearest dealer, you need to decide if this is the right car for you.

I understand british cars, my husband used to have Healeys, 3 of them when we met. Lucas Electronics etc...fun fun... however my understanding is that the newer Lotus will be more friendly in this regard. I sure hope so. Im not someone who is used to cushy cars without problems or quirks, practically all my cars are this way...however If Im buying a brand new car for this price I really hope I can drive it more than look at it. I've ordered two of them.


Mind elaborating on precat failure? Also, Ive heard the celica engines have oil pump problems? Anyone have a run down of problems that are established with this motor?

 

[scot]

The toyota engine seems to have a few specific problems with reliability. Something with the oil pump I believe. The parts are made cheaply, and they normally work just fine but if they do fail, it is a fairly catastrophic problem.

It would be interesting for someone with a 111r to check out their car and see if they have the same parts or if they were upgraded.

Scot

 

[ConeFusion]

I'm not sure if this is the problem that scot is talking about, but I seem to remember from a previous discussion that Lotus is using a different (baffled?) oil pan that should avoid the oil starvation problem under hard cornering that the Celica appears to have. Maybe somebody with better memory can fill in the details.

It's always hard to tell how common a problem is from reading message boards. People mostly write when something goes wrong. Toyota makes a lot of cars. And this isn't a new engine. If there was a frequent problem, I'm confident that they fixed it by now.

 

[babak]

After fiddleing with MG's and Triumphs I truely understand why brits dont build PC's, they can't figure out a way to make them leak oil. However, most of us have experience older MG's, Healey's etc. Jag has recovered nicely in reliability under Ford, Mini is not british so it doesn't count. I had hoped that situation would be a bit better with the current/newer generation of British cars. But the comments above about the Lotus sound downright ominous. Peripheral problems with Toyota do nothing more than to add to the air of insecurity.